This invention relates generally to the field of containment of infectious body fluids, and more particularly to packaging of disposable gloves with consumer tissue products.
The danger of infection from AIDS and other diseases which are transmitted by contact with body fluids are well known. It is a common practice for medical personnel and other treating open wounds in the human body to wear gloves and other protective devices. Protective measures are necessary because a person requiring treatment may unknowingly be a carrier of viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In some instances the victim of an accident may be unconscious and unable to warn others of possible hazards of infection. It has been shown that barrier type product such as protective gloves provide protection especially in case of emergency rescues and on site first aid treatment where the increased risks of contamination are likely the greatest. Rubber gloves (latex or vinyl) are the most functional and widely used of current protection devices and typically remains with care givers.
Many forms of personal protection devices and first aid packages were disclosed in order to provide a consumer products that can be used to contain contamination of body fluids (Leo Utech U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,841; Rodney Horn U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,245; Fang Liu U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,832; Irvine Kalb U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,960).
Consumer tissue products (facial tissues, bathroom tissues, and paper towels) and particularly facial tissues are available in every house, office, school, vehicles, plants and like. Therefore an opportunity exists to package with these products a pair or more of disposable gloves to be used in order to minimize or eliminate the contact with body fluids. Such inclusion of gloves with already widely available consumer tissue products will enhance their marketability and provide a significantly valued products at a minimum cost.
Inclusion of disposable gloves with the highly used consumer tissue products make both products conveniently and readily available within reach when needed. The use of tissue box is known in the prior art. More specifically, tissue box heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, not withstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art tissue boxes include Morris Kuchenbecker U.S. Pat. Nos. design 372,387; 372, and U.S. Pat. No. 386; 5,259,550; North et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,320; Hans Boldt U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,177; Toshimune Masui U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,952. While these designs fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new facial tissue-glove combination box. The inventive design includes a tissue box having a pair or more of disposable gloves either outside or inside the box.
No one has developed a simple, attractive, readily accessible protective gloves with any consumer tissue products box for a variety of use. That is to provide a pair or more of disposable gloves along with widely used consumer tissue products. In these respects, the consumer tissue products and particularly facial tissue-glove box design according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and design of prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing disposable protective gloves along with any type of consumer tissue products and facial tissue in particular.